I have a Doom Angel inside me. And there’s a Doom Angel
inside you, too. You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.
(BTW, how is that for a hot open? Makes you wanna read on,
right?)
| Kinda like what it looks like, but doom-ier IRL |
Let me explain. I’ll build this bridge in two paragraphs, so
we can get to all the humor and honesty you expect from me. We all have that “voice”
inside us. Stay with me, this isn’t some “crazy” voice inside your head that
tells you to eat bunnies or slay your annoying boss. Or is it?? This
voice is also known by other terms; The Narrator, The Inner Roommate,
id/ego/super ego or more commonly, it’s your self-talk. It took me years to
realize this. It took me even longer to realize this ‘voice’ is generally
destructive. The first book I read about this was the super heavy Untethered
Soul. In that book there was an experiment to make you realize how negative
this self-talk really is. As in a lot of meditation (stay with me, self-deprecating
jokes are incoming, I promise), the experiment was to personify this self-talk.
The idea was for 24 hours to pretend all this negative self-talk was a real
person right next to you saying all this shit. I maybe lasted 40 minutes. (Dr.
Theory also recommends you try this.)
| No, I said DOOM Angel |
Now to be fair, a lot of time that self-talk is actually
wise and constructive. It can be inhibitive- that’s how we learn to not put our
hand on a hot stove. Or it can tell you, “Yea, that hot guy across the bar is
attractive, but that knife he’s holding with, what appears to be blood dripping
from, is a bit of a red flag, queen. It’s always a shitshow at this Bennigan’s.”
(See, jokes now happening often!) You expect honesty from
me, so here are some recent examples of my positive and wise self-talk:
You do not HAVE to eat the entire gallon of Rocky Road to
feel better.
No, Sarah McLachlan did not write all those songs about you.
| "GD it, Kev, for the fifth fucking time, NONE of these songs are about you!" |
Starting an OnlyFans for my feet is probably not a smart idea.
Just stay the fuck off social media today.
I said put the spoon down, fatty! (OK, “fatty” hurt.)
Don’t forget to clear your browsing history, King.
You better HOPE no one is tracking your ChatGPT
conversations.
Go get that extra rep.
Take that one more block with the doggos.
The above is the general, run of the mill positive self-talk.
But then there’s deeper, darker self-talk. I can be perfectly fine, and like a
light angel, it lands, says one stupid thing and I fucking spiral. The
impending sense of doom, the worst case scenario. The Doom Angel is now upon
me. The Doom Angel comes to stay and play. And it is. Not. Fun.
That fucker. Ya got what I’m sayin’ now?
It’s a 24/7 world. We’re constantly being bombarded with
being better or more; make more money, be in better shape, eat better, sleep
better, bigger house, faster car. There’s no “good” news anymore. I have a
theory that both broadcast and social media are run by Doom Angels. Or
assholes, hard to tell.
Even when I know better, the Doom Angel fucks with my head. For
example, why is that friend I’m texting/calling not returning my texts/calls?
The Doom Angel, “Because they don’t like you anymore, they don’t care, you
fucked something up.” In reality, I know it’s because they are a grown ass
human with responsibilities and concerns of their own. Life gets busy, we all
know it. Stop making up stories, they’ll get back to me when they have the
time. They’re probably off busy dealing with their own Doom Angel. Do these
guys have some sort of union we’re not aware of? It’s cool, I’m good. The Doom Angel, “….you
sure?” Fffucckkkkk.
I’ve been unemployed since right before Thanksgiving. (Merry
Xmas!) Let me tell you, with some “free time”, the Doom Angel packs a cooler
and moves right it. And I can absolutely spiral down when almost half the
country is seemingly OK with a convicted felon who is mentioned a gazillion
times in the Epstein files can “lead the country.” Yet I can’t find a GD
meaningful job where I can make a decent wage and also make an impact for good.
(OK, only political reference.) I can
look at a job description and not even bloody know what half the acronyms stand
for anymore. And some days, IDGAF. EABOD. The Doom Angel feasts on stuff like
this. SOB. Not only am I it’s bitch, I am also it’s fucking chef.
And sleep; shit, most Doomies tend to work the night shift. Long
time readers know I’ve had some relatively serious sleep issues over the
years. Here’s what I’ve learned that works 98% of the time, gratitude. Don’t
dwell on all the negative stuff that happened today, focus on all the positive.
“Today, I’m happy I got to write a blog, take the dogs on a new trail, send out
some meaningful resumes, bury that body that’s been stinking up the shed, talked
to a friend, said something nice to someone important, didn’t grow a tail.” Be
creative here, the Doomies can’t handle that. I also have a theory the Doom
Angel is what makes me pee so damn much every night: I don’t even want to think
about physical manifestations at this point.
“OK, so this is great and all, Kev” you’re thinking, “So
what do we do here? How do we beat it?”
Well, you can start by telling the Doom Angel, "Don't
you ever come around here.
"Don't wanna see your face, you better disappear" Be sure to say it
with fire in your eyes and your words are really clear. (Tell me you get that reference.*)
I’m not saying I have all the answers here, but this is what has worked for me.
We’ve talked about personifying it. “Hey, Doom Angel, I know you’re doing your
job, but fuck off, I don’t have time for your empty bullshit.” One of the best
things to do is to occupy your mind so it doesn’t even have a chance. Play a
video game. Read a good book to fill your head. I highly recommend pretty much anything
by Freida McFadden for something full of twists. (No, we’re not, but it is good
at some level to see a McFadden be a successful writer) Read meaningful blogs…hahem.
Movies and TV shows can work, but let’s not forget being more physical. Working
out, going for a walk (with some dogs), creating your own art, spending time
with the people who restore you. If you’re being good to yourself, the Doom
Angel has no chance.
I have a feeling, now that I’ve openly talked about my
dickhead Doom Angel, it will be visiting less. Looking forward to a good night’s
sleep. I hope so for you, too.
Patreon extras:
To get in the mood with a title like Doom Angel, I tried to
find some moody Gothic music to write to but was unsuccessful. You’d think that
it would be easier to find. So, I settled for the Cocteau Twins station. Close enough.
As far as the term ‘Doom Angel,’ it is also commonly
referred to as the hamster wheel. But that is not as cool and would make for a
HORRIBLE open. “I have a hamster inside me. You do, too.” NOPE, no one is
reading anything after that. Gross.
There is no immediate GIS for Doom Angel, the first
possibility is 6 rows down. I feel like I should win some sort of internet
prize.
The joke with the * is most of the opening lyric to “Beat It”
but I’m sure most of you got that one.
Ironically enough, Sarah does a song with Blue Rodeo named Dark Angel. That is also not about me. Allegedly.












